https://iprj.guilan.ac.ir/ Plant Pest Research en daily 1 Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://iprj.guilan.ac.ir/article_9642.html The mealworm, Tenebrio molitor L. is a rich source of protein for livestock, poultry, and aquatic animals. In this study, the effect of 10 diets (including food industry waste: industrial bread, pasta, and biscuit waste and waste from industrial poultry and fish slaughterhouses) on the biological characteristics of the mealworm was investigated under laboratory conditions (25 ± 2 °C, relative humidity 65 ± 5%, and 24 hours of darkness). A mixture of 85% wheat bran, 5% baker's yeast, and 10% carrots was used as the control diet. The results indicated that the utilization of food industry and slaughterhouse waste significantly affected the biological parameters of the yellow mealworm. Diets with high levels of biscuit waste and fish waste powder cause 100 % larval mortality. However, substituting fish waste with lower concentration (5%) notably enhanced certain parameters such as the weight of last larval instar (0.132±0.011 g) and larval development time (61.84±4.44 days) compared to other treatments. Conversely, this substitution led to a significant decrease in the total egg laying rate of adult insects (57.8±15.43 eggs) compared to the standard diet (94.20±14.70 eggs). While, a limited inclusion of animal protein-derived sources in the diet of yellow flour beetles may improve some of the growth characteristics of this insect, excessive addition of some of the waste slaughterhouse and food industry wastes can have a negative impact on its survival and reproductive performance https://iprj.guilan.ac.ir/article_9656.html During 2023-2025, the mites fauna of family Ascidae in Guilan province was studied and new specimens were collected and identified from different regions of the province. A total of ten species of mites belonging to the family Ascidae were identified from Guilan province, northern Iran. The collected species include Arctoseius cetratus (Sellnick, 1940), Iphidozercon caspius Hajizadeh, Mortazavi & Nazari, 2014, Zerconopsis michaeli Evans & Hyatt, 1960 and Zerconopsis remiger (Kramer, 1876) from the subfamily Arctosieinae and Antennoseius (Antennoseius) bacatus Athias-Henriot, 1961, Asca aphidioides (Linnaeus, 1758), Asca bicornis (Canestrini & Fanzago, 1877), Gamasellodes bicolor (Berlese, 1918), Protogamasellus massula (Athias-Henriot, 1961) and Protogamasellus mica (Athias-Henriot, 1961) from the subfamily Ascinae. In the present study, male specimens of Iphidozercon caspius, which had been previously described based on female specimens, were collected from Guilan province and characterized for the first time. Collection information and differential diagnosis for collected species from Guilan province are presented. Based on the latest changes in the classification of the family Ascidae, an identification key is provided for the subfamilies, genera, and species of the family Ascidae reported from Iran. https://iprj.guilan.ac.ir/article_9658.html The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, causes significant economic damage to over 150 plant species. Given the adverse effects of synthetic acaricides and the increasing incidence of pesticide resistance in mite populations, eco-friendly control strategies such as irradiation have gained prominence. In the present study, the effect of UV-C radiation on population parameters of the two-spotted spider mite was investigated under laboratory conditions [25 ± 3°C, 65 ± 5% RH, and a 16:8 L:D photoperiod (dark:light)]. The observations were made at intervals of 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 minutes on eggs of the same age of this pest. Increasing the duration of irradiation reduced the lifespan of adult female mites from 22.25 to 19.38 days. The fecundity rate decreased from 39.00 to 17.31 eggs, and the ovipositional period was reduced from 14.35 to 8.72 days. The intrinsic rate of increase in the control and 16 min irradiation with a significant decrease was 0.201±0.005 and 0.098±0.010 per day, respectively. The lowest and highest net reproductive rate values (R0​) were 5.62 and 26.81 eggs/per female at 16 minutes of irradiation and control, respectively. Therefore, population growth decreased with increasing irradiation duration compared to the control. These results demonstrate the inhibitory effects of UV-C radiation on the biological and demographic performance of T. urticae. https://iprj.guilan.ac.ir/article_9690.html Chemical insecticides are widely used to control of Trialeurodes vaporariorum, which may have sublethal effects on its dominant parasitoid, Encarsia formosa. In this study, the sublethal effects (LC25) of alpha-cypermethrin and integration of emamectin benzoate with acetamiprid were evaluated on the population and reproductive parameters of E. formosa. The sublethal studies were conducted using the leaf-dipping method of tomato leaves containing parasitized third-instar nymphs of greenhouse whitefly (coincides with pupa stage of parasitoid), into sublethal concentrations of the insecticides. Life table data were analyzed based on the age–stage, two-sex life table. The results showed that the highest and lowest, female longevity, reproduction period and fertility were on control (5.16±0.19 d; 4.63±0.27 d, and 17.95±1.34 eggs) and alpha-cypermethrin (2.25±0.19 d; 1.29±0.13, and 2.00±0.27 eggs) treatments, respectively. Also, adult females of F1 parasitoid that exposed to sublethal concentration of alpha-cypermethrin had a delayed entry into the adult pre-oviposition and total pre-oviposition period compared to emamectin benzoate + acetamiprid. The results obtained from population growth parameters (R0, r, and λ) showed that the lowest rate of aforementioned parameters were related to alpha-cypermethrin treatment (1.31±0.24 offspring/female/day; 0.0147 day-1, and 1.01±0.01 day-1, respectively). The overall results showed that, alpha-cypermethrin had stronger sublethal effects on E. formosa compared to emamectin benzoate + acetamiprid which need to be used with more caution in integrated pest management programs of the greenhouse whitefly. https://iprj.guilan.ac.ir/article_9599.html In August 2021, a bug species was observed causing damage to commercial thornless blackberry plants in Rasht County, Guilan Province, Iran. This insect was identified as belonging to the family Coreidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). After thorough examination and comparison with specimens from the insect collection at the Natural History Museum of the University of Guilan, it was confirmed to be Coreus marginatus marginatus (Linnaeus, 1758). The insects fed gregariously on ripe blackberry fruits, resulting in crushing and maceration, which ultimately led to the desiccation of the fruit. This is the first documented instance of damage caused by this species on thornless blackberry in Iran. https://iprj.guilan.ac.ir/article_9641.html Due to the polyphagous and omnivorous nature of thrips (Thysanoptera), the host plants attacked by these insects are very diverse, and some of them are also considered important economic pests of various crops. In order to the integrated pest management of these pests and reducing the frequency of using chemical insecticides, the use of biological agents, especially entomopathogenic fungi, can be an important and promising solution. In this regard, the initial step in utilizing these microbial control agents is to identify native species and strains. In this study, entomopathogenic fungi were isolated and identified from some thrips associated with crop plants in Ilam County during 2024-2025. In total, seven fungal species associated with thrips were isolated and identified, including Alternaria alternate (Fr.), Penicillium antarcticum Hocking & McRae, Beauveria bassiana (Bals.Criv.), Chaetomium elatum Kunze, Aspergillus niger Tiegh and Aspergillus nomius Kurtzman and Fusarium sp. Among the above isolates, the most abundant was B. bassiana. All identified species are reported for the first time as enthomopathogenic fungus associated with thrips in Iran. This initial study highlights the necessity for further research to thoroughly assess the pathogenicity of these fungi https://iprj.guilan.ac.ir/article_9752.html Plant nutritional management can influence the biological performance and population dynamics of insect pests through alterations in the physiological and biochemical characteristics of the host plant. In the present study, the effects of different fertilizer sources, including humic acid, vermicompost, manure, nitrogen, and NPK, on the biological traits and life table parameters of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) as well as certain biochemical characteristics of tomato plants were investigated. The results revealed that fertilizer type had significant effects on the development, survival, reproduction, and population growth parameters of T. absoluta. The longest larval and pre-adult developmental periods, along with the lowest immature survival rates, were observed in the humic acid and vermicompost treatments. Furthermore, the lowest fecundity (280 egg), net reproductive rate (R0) (79.35 offspring), and intrinsic rate of increase (r) (0.101 day-1), were recorded in the humic acid treatment, whereas the highest values of these parameters were observed in the nitrogen treatment (363.03 egg, 217.82 offspring, and 0.146 day-1). Application of humic acid and vermicompost significantly increased chlorophyll, carotenoid, total phenolic, and total flavonoid contents in tomato leaves, which were associated with prolonged developmental duration and reduced population growth indices of pest. The findings of the present study demonstrated that humic acid and vermicompost treatments had the greatest potential to suppress the population growth of T. absoluta and could therefore be considered promising components of its integrated management. https://iprj.guilan.ac.ir/article_9753.html In the present study, the species Bregmatothrips dimorphus (Priesner, 1919) collected on Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense) in Tang-e Hammam, Chavar County (Ilam Province), is reported for the first time from Iran. The diagnostic morphological traits and geographical distribution of the newly recorded species are detailed. Additionally, an identification key for the three recognized species of this genus in Iran is included.